Text of the North American-Made Energy Security Act

This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on July 26, 2011 but was never passed by the Senate. The text of the bill below is as of Jul 22, 2011 (Reported by House Committee).

Mr. Terry (for
himself, Mr. Ross of Arkansas,
Mr. Upton,
Mr. Whitfield,
Mr. Sullivan,
Mr. Gene Green of Texas,
Mrs. McMorris Rodgers,
Mr. Walden,
Mr. McKinley,
Mr. Gardner,
Mr. Scalise,
Mrs. Myrick,
Mr. Pitts, and
Mr. Murphy of Pennsylvania) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on
Energy and Commerce and
Natural Resources, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned

July 8, 2011

Reported from the
Committee on Energy and
Commerce with an amendment

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert
the part printed in italic

For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as
introduced on May 23, 2011

A BILL

To direct the President to expedite the
consideration and approval of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL
oil pipeline, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the
North American-Made Energy Security
Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds and declares the
following:

(1)

The United States
currently imports more than half of the oil it consumes, often from countries
hostile to United States interests or with political and economic instability
that compromises supply security.

(2)

While a significant
portion of imports are derived from allies such as Canada and Mexico, the
United States remains vulnerable to substantial supply disruptions created by
geopolitical tumult in major producing nations.

(3)

Strong increases in oil
consumption in the developing world outpace growth in conventional oil
supplies, bringing tight market conditions and higher oil prices in periods of
global economic expansion or when supplies are threatened.

(4)

The development and
delivery of oil and gas from Canada to the United States is in the national
interest of the United States in order to secure oil supplies to fill needs
that are projected to otherwise be filled by increases in other foreign
supplies, notably from the Middle East.

(5)

Continued development of
North American energy resources, including Canadian oil, increases domestic
refiners’ access to stable and reliable sources of crude and improves certainty
of fuel supply for the Department of Defense, the largest consumer of petroleum
in the United States.

(6)

Canada and the United
States have the world’s largest two-way trading relationship. Therefore, for
every United States dollar spent on products from Canada, including oil, 90
cents is returned to the United States economy. When the same metrics are
applied to trading relationships with some other major sources of United States
crude oil imports, returns are much lower.

(7)

The principal choice for
Canadian oil exporters is between moving increasing crude oil volumes to the
United States or Asia, led by China. Increased Canadian oil exports to China
will result in increased United States crude oil imports from other foreign
sources, especially the Middle East.

(8)

Increased Canadian crude
oil imports into the United States correspondingly reduce the scale of
wealth transfers to other more distant foreign sources resulting
from the greater cost of importing crude oil from those sources.

(9)

Not only are United
States companies major investors in Canadian oil sands, but many United States
businesses throughout the country benefit from supplying goods and services
required for ongoing Canadian oil sands operations and expansion.

(10)

There has been more than
2 years of consideration and a coordinated review by more than a dozen Federal
agencies of the technical aspects and of the environmental, social, and
economic impacts of the proposed pipeline project known as the Keystone XL from
Hardisty, Alberta, to Steele City, Nebraska, and then on to the United States
Gulf Coast through Cushing, Oklahoma.

(11)

Keystone XL represents a
high capacity pipeline supply option that could meet early as well as long-term
market demand for crude oil to United States refineries, and could also
potentially bring over 100,000 barrels per day of United States Bakken crudes
to market.

(12)

Completion of the
Keystone XL pipeline would increase total Keystone pipeline capacity by 700,000
barrels per day to 1,290,000 barrels per day.

(13)

The Keystone XL pipeline
would provide short-term and long-term employment opportunities and related
labor income benefits, as well as government revenues associated with sales and
payroll taxes.

(14)

The earliest possible
construction of the Keystone XL pipeline will make the extensive proven and
potential reserves of Canadian oil available for United States use and increase
United States jobs and will therefore serve the national interest.

(15)

Analysis using the
Environmental Protection Agency models shows that the Keystone XL pipeline will
result in no significant change in total United States or global greenhouse gas
emissions.

(16)

The Keystone XL pipeline
would be state-of-the-art and have a degree of safety higher than any other
typically constructed domestic oil pipeline system.

(17)

Because of the extensive
governmental studies already made with respect to the Keystone XL project and
the national interest in early delivery of Canadian oil to United States
markets, a decision with respect to a Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL
pipeline should be promptly issued without further administrative delay or
impediment.

3.

Expedited approval
process

(a)

In
general

The President, acting
through the Secretary of Energy, shall coordinate with each Federal agency
responsible for coordinating or considering an aspect of the President’s
National Interest Determination and Presidential Permit decision regarding
construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline, to ensure that all
necessary actions with respect to such decision are taken on an expedited
schedule.

(b)

Agency cooperation with
Secretary of Energy

Each Federal agency described in subsection
(a) shall comply with any deadline established by the Secretary of Energy
pursuant to subsection (a).

(c)

Final
order

Not later than 30 days after the issuance of the final
environmental impact statement, the President shall issue a final order
granting or denying the Presidential Permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, but
in no event shall such decision be made later than November 1, 2011.

(d)

Environmental
review

No action by the Secretary of Energy pursuant to this
section shall affect any duty or responsibility to comply with any requirement
to conduct environmental review.